


Chatting Up

by EmaniaHilel



Series: After-Hours [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 14:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14620827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmaniaHilel/pseuds/EmaniaHilel
Summary: It's the week after the events of A Chat in the Dark and After-Hours Chat and Marinette has FINALLY gathered up her courage to talk to Adrien...sortof.Part 3.





	Chatting Up

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who has been supportive of this series and provided comments to stoke my ego and let me know I'm doing a good job! 
> 
> But special thanks to Guardian_Kysra for serving as Beta and thought bouncer-offer (again). ^_^

**_Chatting Up  
by Em_ ** __

__

_“Life is a matter of courtship and wooing, flirting and chatting.”  
\- Carolyn See_

>Hey Adrien! Are you busy? If you are, no worries. Just ignore me.<

Marinette reviewed the words critically, and sighed. Dickenson poetry it was not, but at least it was casual and light and he could ignore her if he was in the middle of something and maybe he’d forget to text her back and then at least she could say she texted him and she wouldn’t even have to deal with this at all.

Realizing she hadn’t taken a breath in the last several seconds, she inhaled deeply and shook her head as she exhaled. This wouldn’t do. She was not going to sit here and stare at her phone for a response she was 90% sure he wouldn’t be giving. So, she very purposefully set her phone aside, leaned back against her headboard and took up the lap desk with her history textbook on it. She might as well get some homework done, she decided as she lifted the highlighter. 

She had read a total of three words before her phone vibrated softly. Marinette jumped slightly in surprise and her lap desk and highlighters went tumbling off her lap, scattering books and notebook across her bed. 

‘Maybe it wasn’t him?’ she wondered as she scavenged her bedcovers for the phone she could never find when she needed to. Of course it couldn’t be him! He was in the middle of a photo shoot this afternoon until 7. Unless she had the wrong schedule?

By the time she found her phone and unlocked the screen, she read the new message in a daze.

>Hey Marinette! Actually, not busy right now. What’s up?<

Marinette blinked a few minutes before realizing it was really a response from Adrien.

‘Oh…’ she thought. She felt the urge to yelp, but held back because Tikki was napping and the poor Kwami deserved all the rest she could get. 

‘Now what?’ she asked herself, panicking. She re-read his message. ‘What’s up? What’s up?’ she asked herself frantically. ‘What’s up is that I behaved really stupidly to you today in school and I thought I should apologize or explain or something, but I can’t really explain because there is just no way I can tell you I spazzed out because you _smiled_ at me and—‘ the phone buzzed in her hands again, cutting out her spiraling thoughts.

>Everything ok?<

Her heart plummeted. She had worried him. She reread her message to him and could see how it might. 

‘Fudgebuckets!’

>Yes, everything fine! How are you?<

She hit send and then let her head bang into the wall behind her at the stupid inanity of the com-ment. She hastened to try to fix it and added…

>I’m sorry if I am bothering you - aren’t you in lessons or working or something today?<

She peered at the screen until his reply came back. 

>Not bothering me. I’m supposed to be shooting a perfume ad, but the photographer is taking issue with the spring water on set, and is refusing to work until the right kind is brought for him.<

She read his comment and laughed, despite herself. 

>So, I was just reading your book, actually. It really is very good!<

Her heart sprang into her throat at his new comment. 

For a moment, she forgot who she was talking to and replied the way she would with any of her friends. 

>That reads like surprise…were you doubting my reading tastes? O.o<

There was pause significant enough that Marinette realized he might not realize she was kidding. She was frantically searching for the right way to fix it when his reply came through. 

>Question the reading tastes of the girl who admitted to actually having enjoyed The Mortal Instruments? O.O Me? Neeeever.<

Her jaw dropped and her face flushed. Yes, she had admitted to having liked the Mortal Instruments, but she had tempered the comment by saying she probably liked it because she had such low expectations of it, and…

Wait.

She re-read the text and her brain froze for a split second.

Was he…? 

Yes…

Adrien Agreste was _teasing_ her.

She found herself smiling, and reaching for her phone to respond, and stopped as a question oc-curred to her. 

Nino and Adrien had not been part of the conversation about The Mortal Instruments. She and Alya had been sitting in class, she remembered that, and it was while they waited for their science teacher to set up the board after their literature teacher had finished their lesson, and Adrien and Nino had been sitting in front of them, but…

Her phone buzzed and drew her attention back. 

>It’s a really interesting book, anyway, Mari. Thank you for loaning it to me.<

She found herself smiling again. 

>Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.<

She hit send with a huge smile on her face. 

>I do! Very much. I think Millard is my favorite character so far.<

She laughed again. She _knew_ he’d like it. 

>I like him a lot too. But Bronwyn is my favorite, I think.<

>I don’t think I’ve met her yet. I’m only by Chapter 5<

>You’ll meet her soon.<

She looked at her last message and frowned, moaning a little under her breath. _Now what?_

>Go back to reading, it’s all good—

She stopped her typing and shook her head firmly, erasing the words that would allow her to chicken out of having this conversation. 

>I was actually writing to—

She stopped typing when a new message came in before she could finish her thought.

>You ran off kind of fast today after school, I hope nothing’s wrong.<

Marinette read his words and flopped back into her headboard, withholding a load groan just in time. ‘Nothing’s wrong except you smiled at me and it totally spazzed me out,’ she thought. But she couldn’t write that. 

She looked back at the message she had started typing which was still on the screen and, resign-edly, went back to finish it. She might as well. 

>I was actually writing to apologize for that<

She hit send and waited a minute, wracking her brain for an excuse she could give for her stupid behavior — any excuse — alien abduction? No, too trite. PMS? Too personal. 

Somewhere beneath her, she heard the door to the living area of their home open and close and her mother called out, “It’s just me, Mari!” Marinette smiled. “Just popping in to grab your fa-ther’s Lucky Mad Baker apron.”

Marinette scrambled off her bed and went to her trap door, opening it and peering down. “Papa is experimenting with a new recipe?” she called back. 

Her mom stopped near the foot of the stairs leading up to her alcove on the way back to the front of the house. “He’s been inspired,” Sabine smiled. “Something to do with mangos.”

Marinette grinned. “Oh, yum!” 

Sabine winked. “I’ll make sure he brings you some samples if they’re edible.”

Marinette laughed, but started when she heard her phone ding. With a wave, she darted back in-to her room and dove for her bed. 

>Apologize for what?<

Marinette felt her heart constrict at the simple words. Adrien really was an angel. Eventually, the warm glow that came with every new indication of Adrien’s sweetness faded and she real-ized she had to answer his question. 

Only Adrien wouldn’t seem to have any concern with the fact that she completely spazzed out and ran off without finishing a conversation…again. 

She sighed as she typed her response. 

>For leaving so abruptly<

She hit send and watched the corner of her screen for an indication that Adrien was typing a re-sponse. Then, she realized her response wasn’t really enough.

>I had to hurry home to—

She paused and heard the door close behind her mother, inspiration striking. She started her message again.

>I was very rude, and I’m sorry, but I had to hurry home to help out my parents at the patisserie for a bit.<

Yes, it was a lie, but it was a little lie. A little _white_ lie. 

Better than admitting she fell to pieces just at the full power of his smile. 

She watched and waited…eyes glued on the little corner of her screen, willing the little undulat-ing dots to appear signaling he’d begun to compose a reply. 

After a few seconds, she realized she had been holding her breath, and inhaled sharply.

What was she doing? Watching the phone wasn’t going to make him respond any sooner. 

She made herself look away from the screen and set the phone down purposefully. She drew her textbook back onto her lap and flipped it open to the page marked by her fluorescent pink high-lighter. She had to get this homework done, or she wouldn’t be done by the time she had to go out on patrol as Ladybug and she’d be up until who knew when doing her homework after she got back. 

She _did not_ have time to wait around for Adrien Agreste to answer her text. 

_If_ he was going to answer her text.

Maybe he wouldn’t answer her text at all. 

Maybe he was so disgusted by her lame excuse and would give up on the conversation entirely. 

Maybe he just got bored and is _at that very moment_ being entertained by some beautiful-ly lithe and fashionably dressed model with impeccable hair and makeup and—

Marinette stopped herself with a hand on the ends of her ponytail and forcefully halted that train of thought. 

_‘Get it together, Marinette!’_ she chided herself. _‘Focus!’_

And, with no more than a sideways glance, she turned back to her book.

She was halfway down the page when her phone dinged and she nearly jumped out of her skin. The surprise caused the pink highlight she was giving to the one particular line of text zagged halfway down the page before she lifted it. She frowned down at the page for a few moments, annoyed at the marring of her page, before she remembered what caused it in the first place. 

She dug her phone out from under a discarded throw pillow and unlocked it to reveal the mes-saging application.

>It’s fine.<

She looked at the words for a moment, pleased at the statement, but feeling a little disappointed by its rather succinct nature. Something seemed off about it, un-Adrien-like, even and she cocked her head, searching the text for some clue as to what seemed off about it. 

Before she could figure it out, her phone dinged again and a new message popped up. 

>Sorry, I got called away by the wardrobe department and they took away my phone for a fit-ting.<

Relieved, she found herself giggling at the image of Adrien’s phone being taken away like that of a naughty kid. 

>I’m sorry, don’t mean to get you in trouble!<

 

Her phone buzzed almost immediately with his response:

>Oh, you didn’t!<

Before she could think of where to take the conversation from there, another text came in.

>I was trying to say that I didn’t think you having to run off was rude, and that I’m just glad eve-rything’s ok<

She smiled at her phone for a few moments before responding. 

>It was totally rude, but thanks for understanding.<

>Of course<

Marinette exhaled, relieved. She wondered whether she should end the conversation now? Normally, with Alya or any of her other friends, they didn’t really say ‘goodbye’ when texting. They just stopped when there was nothing else to say. But this was different…this was _Adrien._ He texted in complete sentences and didn’t use text shorthand. 

>Can I ask you something?<

The words brought on a cold sweat and made her heart sink to somewhere in the vicinity of her stomach where it fluttered about frantically like it was trying to get out. Can he ask her some-thing? Well…depends. But that wasn’t an appropriate response. She groaned, realizing the on-ly thing she could say. She winced as she typed.

>Sure?<

>Do you think it’s weird that Emma seems to have a thing for Jake after having had a thing with his grandfather?<

Marinette blinked at the question and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, laughing only harder when he texted again.

>It’s weird, right?<

She shook her head. 

>I guess I’m a romantic at heart, so it doesn’t really bother me.<

She sat back, the amusement having completely dispelled the dread she’d felt a few moments before. She didn’t know what she’d thought he was going to ask, but this she could handle. 

>Hey! I’m a romantic, too!<

She smirked as she replied.

>Sure, sure.<

She waited a few moments for his response.

>Oh? O.O Are you challenging me again, Mlle. Marinette?<

She felt a giddiness flutter through her at the reminder of their previous text conversation and she responded without really thinking about it. 

>You still haven’t proven it by my count.<

His response was immediate.

>Oh, is that right?!<  
>Who ran away from whom?<

Her heart stopped and she forgot to breathe. Her expression was somewhere between the goofy smile frozen on her lips and the wide-eyed look of someone in shell shock. 

She exhaled and cocked her head at the phone in her hands. Was he…?

No. She would not read into this. He was playing with her. She played like this with her friends. It wasn’t serious. She would _not_ read into this. 

Steeling herself, she thought of what she’d write to Alya or what she’d say to Sabrina or Juleka.

>I find it hard to believe you’d have enough time to prove you could be romantic when you had to rush off to work yourself. -_- <

His response wasn’t as quick this time, but it still came before she could doubt herself. 

>You might have a point.<

She smirked in triumph, but her eyes widened as soon as his next words came through.

>So, meet me at the Ten Belles in the _10e arrondisement_ tomorrow at around noon and I’ll be happy to prove it to you. <

For the second time in as many minutes, Marinette’s heart stuttered and she felt both her cheeks flush and something like a cold sweat break out on her brow at the same time. 

_‘Oh, merde,’_ she thought. Did Adrien just _ask her out?_

No…Adrien would not ask her out to prove a point.

She would treat it like a joke.

It was so much safer than chancing taking it seriously. 

>Jaja. You don’t have to prove yourself to me.<

His response came quicker than she thought it might.

>How about if I want to?<

Oh.

_Oh._

_Bordel del dieu!_

She didn’t know how long she stared at the text on the screen in blank astonishment, but it must have been several minutes. The only thing that shook her out of the moment was the buzzing of her phone in her numb fingers. 

>Seriously, meet me for a coffee?<  
>We can talk about the book…I’m sure I’ll be done by then and I don’t know anyone else who’s read it.<  
>I can already tell this will be a book I will have to discuss with someone.<

The book.

She exhaled again, falling sideways onto her mattress, letting the phone fall and raising her hands to rub at her face. Of course. He _wasn’t_ serious. 

But hey…she would see him.

>Unless you have some other plan?<  
>Sorry, I should’ve asked first if you were busy.<

She shook her head and then hurried to type her response. 

>No, not busy at all.< She hit send and then realized she should’ve waited to finish her thought.  
>I’d like to meet you at Ten Belles. I haven’t been there before.<

She waited a few moments, but when the time ticked on and he didn’t respond, she started to get nervous. 

_‘Oh, no,’_ she thought, frantic suddenly. Maybe he thought she was making this weird. Did she make it weird?

She scrolled up and re-read their conversation. Shoot. Should she have not said she wasn’t busy? Didn’t those girls in the movies always at least pretend to be busy and make the boy try to convince them? Was she too available?

 _‘Marinette, stop,’_ she chastised herself. Adrien wasn’t asking her out on a date, so it didn’t really matter! 

Right?

She clicked out of the chat with Adrien and opened up a chat to Alya. She went as far as typing up her message (I just told Adrien I’m not busy and would love to meet him at Ten Belles tomor-row for coffee, but it isn’t a date, but should I have pretended to be busy anyway?) but stopped herself before sending it. Alya would never let her hear the end of it. 

She got about halfway through deleting the message when she stopped, and reconsidered again. Sure, Alya might tease her, but -

Her phone pinged and buzzed in her hand, interrupting her thought. She glanced at the notifica-tion that popped up along the top of her screen, her heart stopping at the realization that it was a text from Adrien. 

She clicked out of her message to Alya and back to her chat with Adrien, the butterflies in her stomach going into overdrive.

>Great!<

And then, before she could read too much into the simple answer, a new message appeared.

>I think you’ll love it.<

Part of her mind was completely frozen, and when she told Alya about it later, she would have to resort to reviewing the chat text to remember exactly what was said because she otherwise would have no independent recollection of it. 

She couldn’t even tell Alya how she had thought of her response to him.

>I trust you.<

Adrien’s reply came relatively quick after. 

> ^_^. Is 10 too early?<

Too early to see Adrien? There was no such thing. If he wanted to go right that minute, she wouldn’t have said no.

Still, before she could answer, he texted again.

>I have a very early morning shoot near there which should be done right around then.<

She didn’t remember reading his text either, but she must’ve because she answered. 

>I’ll be there.<

>I’ll see you tomorrow then!<  
>I actually have to go – photographer got his water, so it’s time to go to work! :) <

Marinette smiled at the smilie face. 

>Ok, see you tomorrow! Have a great shoot!<

>Thanks!<

When her phone buzzed again, she knew it wasn’t Adrien, so she wasn’t surprised to see Alya’s name pop up on her screen.

Wait until Alya heard she was meeting Adrien for coffee.

 _Ohmygod,_ Marinette’s brain stopped again. She hit Alya’s name and didn’t even wait for the girl to greet her before she started speaking in slightly panicked tones. “Coffee! Tomor-row! Flirting, except he couldn’t be, right? And I said yes right away, and maybe I should’ve pretended to have other plans, but the thing is it didn’t matter what plans I had because it was…I didn’t make myself too available, right? And you know how much I’ve wanted to go to Ten Belles, but even if it were a park bench, I’d go because, it’s…Alya! I don’t know what I’m go-ing to wear, ohmygod, Alya, I’m hyperventilating, I’m not going to make it!”

As soon as Marinette took a breath, all she heard was Alya’s laughter. 

“Alya!”


End file.
